Week 27-Third Trimester

Back in September/October I couldn't wait to get through the first trimester and things seemed to move so slow. Now all of a sudden my second trimester is gone and we are in the home stretch. How did that happen? And if the second trimester went by that quickly how quickly will the third disappear? 

My belly continues to expand at a rapid rate and I'm convinced that by the last month of this pregnancy I'm going to have to arch my back just to keep from falling over. I still love feeling him move and kick. I can't wait to meet him! Just kidding little buddy. I can wait. There is still so much left to do so you just hang out in there and keep growing. 

I saw a friend at the store the other day. It had been a long time since I had seen her last and first thing she said was, "You're not that big." I was shocked and informed her that I still have three more months to go. Her eyes got big and she said, "Ooooh, okay you're big." Finally, someone agrees with me. 

Well, we are off to Colorado to visit family. Until next week!

-K

Week 26 - Growing

Just a picture today and a quick note to say thanks for the comments that some of you have left. I know I don't usually respond to them but I really do love reading them.

Our baby boy is almost two pounds. Looking at my belly you'd think he was at least double that. Can't imagine what I'm going to look like in a couple months. Yikes!

Happy Tuesday!

-K

Weeks 24 and 25

I'm sitting here making a list of ladies to be invited to the baby shower. It's bittersweet for me. Even though I am excited to share this special event with the wonderful women around me I can't help feeling like there are some very important women who will be missing. It's a price that we pay for living in Alaska and I know that. I thought I was getting used to being so far away from some of the most important people in my life but I guess significant events like having a baby bring those emotions back to the surface. Or it's just those pesky hormones making me weepy again.

Other than feeling a little nostalgic it's been a busy couple of weeks with housesitting for friends and working on the nursery. We got rid of our guest bed, ripped out the old dirty carpet and took down all the trim. I cleaned and prepped the walls, ceiling and closet and painted them with the help of a friend. Steve replaced all the old outlets and we put down new carpet. I've painted the old dresser I bought and turned it into a functioning beauty. I'm currently working on painting the crib, which is taking way longer than I had anticipated. It's slowly coming together and I couldn't be happier. Our old dirty basement is turning into a clean place that I feel good about bringing a baby home to.

I haven't been able to take a 25 week picture but here is one from week 24.

This baby is so active and he's gained enough strength that some of his kicks are actually painful. Steve thinks this is hilarious.

I continue to feel great making it easy to get some of the preparation for our little man done. We still have a lot of work to do but we will get there. 3 1/2 more months to go!

-K

Stranded

A few weeks ago Steve and I jumped into our plane and headed across the inlet to check on Steve's traps and look at the cabin that he and friends have put a lot of work into. I use the term cabin loosely because it is more of a large shack with a very small fireplace. It needs a lot of love but it's pretty amazing what the guys have been able to do with it, including moving it across the lake and putting it up on stilts.

The real story is about us getting stuck over there. All the lakes were covered in a beautiful fluffy layer of snow that the plane skies sunk into. Our first attempt at landing on one of the lakes forced us to turn right around and take back off after almost getting stuck. We headed straight to the lake where the cabin is located and landed, built a fire in the cabin and enjoyed a warm cup of cider. Steve headed out to check on his landing strip and found that there was a large section of overflow (water on top of the ice and underneath the snow) that dictated where we could take off, shortening our strip. After about 10 attempts at taking off we decided it was time to start preparing for a long cold night. Did I mention it was 20 below?

We spent an hour stomping down the snow so it could freeze overnight and make it easier to take off the next day. Then we had to get tarps under the skies to make sure they didn't freeze into the snow. Then it was on to cutting firewood to keep the huge, uninsulated cabin warm during the long night

Getting stuck and having to do all this work was actually fun. And luckily we had plenty of sleeping bags to keep us warm and we had a small stash of emergency food (instant potatoes and snickers) to make sure we didn't starve. The scary part was when I realized that I had overdone it on chopping wood and had several contractions in a row. Nothing like being stuck in the wilderness, about 6 months pregnant and having contractions. I took a break and the contractions stopped. Whew!

The lake is right at the base of Mount Redoubt. Can't imagine a more beautiful place to get stuck.

Mt. Spur off in the distance

Ruger was soooo cold. Good thing he had his new jacket from Steve's mom.

You can see the speck that is Steve. He was checking out the overflow that interfered with our runway.

The sun starting to set at 3:30ish

 Our 5 star accommodations. That boat is covering up the door hole so we had to climb in and out of the window. This provided an interesting dilema for a pregnant woman, especially during the night with my low capacity bladder. And night lasts a long time in December. Darkness starts at about 4pm with the sun beginning to rise at about 9am but not actually being full light until 10.  

Left is sunset. Right is Sunrise (taken through an iced over window because I wasn't ready to venture out into the cold yet)

The trip made for a good story and we will always remember it. But I definitely won't be going back out with him again while pregnant.

Week 23 - Happy New Year!

I started writing this yesterday and finished it today so imagine it's still January 1st.

Today is the first day of a new year. All new years bring change. At least I hope so. Change means we're moving forward. Change means growth. And this year could possibly mean the most change that we have had so far. (Those of you that have children are probably giggling to yourselves at my use of the word 'possibly'. Am I right?)

I'm excited for the change. And terrified in a way that I've never been terrified before. Am I really ready to give up my freedoms? Am I ready to be the kind of selfless person that it takes to be a good parent? Am I going to be able to handle it if my son is born premature or has health problems that I can't fix? Am I going to be able to juggle it all? Being a mom, a wife, a housekeeper, a friend, a neighbor? Am I going to lose who I am in the process? Will I find time in all of that to do the things I love like painting?

Wow, typing these thoughts makes them more real which in turn makes me more scared. Let's try to balance out the scale. Being a mom is going to be filled with more blessings than I can imagine. Amidst the sleepless nights I get to experience holding my baby boy for the first time, knowing that he is mine, he is ours. We created this little life out of the love that god has given us for each other. He will love me with a special kind of love because I am his mother, not just because I provide for his needs. I will get to see him change and grow and I will witness all of his firsts. Or at least most of them I hope. My name will be one of his first words and I will be the one he runs to when he's needs comfort. And this is just the beginning of the blessings that are ahead of me. Isn't that grand? Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (also, it made me tear up.)

Aaaaah, there. Much better. Now that we have the scales back in balance I will update you on all pregnancy/baby facts for this week.

Our baby boy now weighs over a pound and is more than 11 inches long. His eyes are developed enough that he can see and even respond to light. He can hear and responds to loud noises and his dad's voice with little kicks to my belly. He can also feel pressure which is probably why he kicks me when I I push on him.

And for me, other than the usual fatigue and heartburn I feel great. I'm showing enough that people comment and ask questions a lot. This is fun when it's friends, less fun when it's strangers. I'm going to get really tired of answering questions with "April 24th" and "it's a boy". I was putting off wearing maternity clothes for as long as possible but recently gave in and embraced my new wardrobe. I also packed away my old one which brought some mixed emotions.

Well that's all I have time for now. Off to make dinner. Happy New Years everyone!

-K